Bloodline is Everything - Chapter 68

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

【Bloodline is a Thug Chapter 68】

Chapter 68: The Succession Ceremony (1)

Skeletal Rebirth
A phenomenon wherein the bones, organs, and all physical components undergo complete renewal.
Those who experience skeletal rebirth gain enhancement across all their abilities.
It is far more than simple increases in strength or better control of magical power.
The very foundation of life itself transforms. One’s existence ascends to a higher plane.
Combat prowess enhanced through skeletal rebirth is said to increase threefold to fourfold or more.
Given such extraordinary power, only a handful of world-ranked hunters have ever experienced skeletal rebirth.
“I’m interested, certainly… but why are you asking me this?”
Nomura Masataka suddenly glanced around. Lowering his voice, he whispered.
“The Takamine Hospital has developed a surgical procedure for skeletal rebirth after years of research.”
“…Is that truly so?”
When Kwon Han-ul reacted, Nomura Masataka smiled with satisfaction.
“Of course, it’s not simple. The hospital must mobilize all its relics and equipment, and an enormous quantity of elixirs is required. Once the procedure is performed, all the hospital’s relics cease functioning, and the facility must close for over a month.”
That the Takamine Hospital—counted among the world’s finest medical institutions—would need to shut down entirely.
It truly meant every resource of the hospital would be consumed in the process.
“What would you do if I offered you that procedure?”
“You’re offering it to me?”
“Yes. I favor promising young people like yourself. Moreover, as a member of the Heukcheon Bloodline, investing in you would hardly be wasteful, would it? However…”
Nomura Masataka’s gaze shifted.
“As I mentioned, skeletal rebirth is not easily achieved. The burden on the hospital is considerable, so performing the procedure casually is difficult.”
“That’s fine, then.”
Kwon Han-ul refused outright, and Nomura Masataka’s expression faltered slightly.
“Fine?”
“I cannot ask you to burden the hospital for my sake. Besides, now is the time to focus on the mission. I have no room to spare attention elsewhere.”
Nomura Masataka fell silent. After a moment, he smiled again and spoke.
“That’s a fair point. But should you ever become interested, come find me.”
“I will.”
“It was an honor to meet you.”
With that, Nomura Masataka departed.
“Ha-yeon, do you think what he said was true?”
“Honestly, it’s hard to believe. If they’d truly developed a procedure for skeletal rebirth, word would have spread.”
Joo Ha-yeon’s words rang true.
Skeletal rebirth operates on an entirely different level than common opportunities. It is something even world-ranked hunters covet.
“Yet it’s equally difficult to deny outright. Skeletal rebirth has long been the Takamine Family’s cherished aspiration. If that aspiration has recently been realized…”
So Joo Ha-yeon’s assessment was that success remained a possibility.
“But why did you refuse so outright? It didn’t seem like there would be any real downside.”
“I found his subtle probing of my intentions distasteful.”
Nomura Masataka hadn’t broached the topic of rebirth out of pure goodwill.
Throughout the conversation, he’d been gauging my reactions. His intent to dangle rebirth as bait and extract something from me was abundantly clear.
“And besides.”
Because I possessed the Bloodline, I could see through it clearly.
Nomura Masataka’s spirit was utterly corrupted by greed and arrogance.
“He’s simply not someone I can trust.”

* * *

Kwon Han-ul entered the Banquet Hall alongside Joo Ha-yeon.
“Oh, you’ve arrived.”
Mei Hong immediately attached herself to Kwon Han-ul as he entered the Banquet Hall.
“Did you notice anyone suspicious?”
“No, there wasn’t anyone.”
I’d asked Mei Hong beforehand to keep watch over the guests.
After all, Ferdrans might have been scheming something.
I was in the middle of conversing with Mei Hong when it happened.
Takamine Ryoko and Goriki Nana approached me. I bowed my head first and spoke.
“Congratulations on officially inheriting the Takamine Family.”
“Thank you for your congratulations.”
I lifted my head and observed the two of them.
Unlike Takamine Ryoko, who had dressed with utmost restraint, Goriki Nana wore an extraordinarily flamboyant outfit. Her makeup was so heavy it was almost burdensome to look at.
“You look so refined when you’re properly dressed… I barely recognized you.”
Goriki Nana’s gaze swept over me from head to toe.
There was something unsettling about that look. I never thought I’d receive such a gaze from a woman in my lifetime.
To change the subject, I turned to Takamine Ryoko and asked.
“There aren’t as many guests as I expected.”
“The succession ceremony is traditionally held modestly, with only family members and hospital staff invited.”
I glanced around the Banquet Hall. An entire orchestra had been brought in to perform. The word “modest” hardly seemed fitting.
“Hey, Han-ul.”
Kwon Hu-don came running from a distance. Mark Griffin was with him.
I excused myself to Takamine Ryoko and approached Kwon Hu-don.
“Where are the team members?”
“Yeah, I deployed them just like you said. Teams 1 and 2 are patrolling the exterior, and Team 3 is inside.”
“Good work.”
Kwon Hu-don’s expression softened slightly at my words.
“Mark Griffin.”
“Why the long face?”
Mark Griffin spoke in a blunt tone.
“If anything happens, I’ll be counting on you then.”
“I’m not sure there’ll be room for me to step in. Little Dragon and the other two are performing so well.”
Even in this situation, Mark Griffin spoke with a hint of sarcasm. Kwon Hu-don beside him fidgeted nervously.
“Then, Captain, let’s go handle our duties.”
“Yeah, Han-ul, let’s head out.”
Kwon Han-ul, on the other hand, paid little attention to Mark Griffin’s attitude.
Neither of us harbored warm feelings for each other. As long as he did his job properly, I had no complaints.
-Ahem.
At that moment, Nomura Masataka’s voice echoed through the Banquet Hall.
Nomura Masataka stood on a podium prepared at one side of the Banquet Hall, gripping the microphone.
-I offer my gratitude to all the distinguished guests who have gathered here today.
All eyes converged on Nomura Masataka. He glanced around at the assembled crowd for a moment.
He seemed to relish the attention.
-Standing here reminds me of the succession ceremony of my predecessor. On that day, I stood below the podium, looking up at my predecessor.
Nomura Masataka paused briefly. He appeared to be reminiscing about those times.
-That I now stand here to announce the beginning of this succession ceremony fills me with profound emotion.
Nomura Masataka’s words continued at length. Stories of his youth, the death of his predecessor, and how hard he had worked immediately after taking office as hospital director.
Listening to him speak, it seemed like this ceremony was for Nomura Masataka rather than Takamine Ryoko.
-Now, Miss Takamine Ryoko will take the podium.
Nomura Masataka stepped back slightly. Takamine Ryoko below climbed the stairs.
Standing on the podium, Takamine Ryoko grasped the microphone. She was about to offer words of gratitude to the distinguished guests gathered.
[E-Emergency situation!]
An urgent voice crackled through the miniature transceiver in my ear.
[E-Enemies have appeared outside the barrier… W-What is that? Aaahhhhh!]
A tremendous crash reverberated through the entire Mansion. Soon after, the sound of hundreds of panes of glass shattering in succession rang out.
Joo Ha-yeon spoke to me urgently.
“Kwon Han-ul, the barrier has been breached.”
What that meant was crystal clear.
The attack had begun.
Screams and the clash of weapons echoed from outside the Mansion.
Kwon Han-ul deliberated. After the first attack, the enemy had been quiet all this time. Now they were attacking with such crude methods?
“It seems like a trap.”
“That’s likely the case.”
Ferdrans is a cunning man. Such a person would never commit such an act without calculation.
“What will you do?”
To Joo Ha-yeon’s question, I answered without hesitation.
“There’s no need to play into the enemy’s schemes.”
In a situation like this, holding our ground was far better than moving recklessly.
If I rashly moved to break the enemy’s schemes, the probability of falling into their trap was high.
“Kwon Hu-don!”
Kwon Han-ul shouted loudly. Kwon Hu-don lifted his head from nearby.
“What, what?”
“Take your team and protect Takamine Ryoko and the guests. Don’t move recklessly in the Banquet Hall.”
The Mansion was the safest place right now.
After Joo Ha-yeon had cast her barrier, I had searched the interior of the Mansion multiple times.
“You, what about you?”
“Me?”
Kwon Han-ul’s mouth corners rose. He spoke with a savage, beast-like grin.
“I need to meet our uninvited guests.”

* * *

As I stepped outside, I could see Kwon Hu-don’s team members and attackers clashing throughout the sprawling Garden.
But the appearance of the attackers was grotesquely horrifying.
One side of their limbs was abnormally swollen, or their skin was dyed in garish colors.
Their eyes were clouded and murky, and green saliva dripped from their mouths. No matter how I looked at it, they were in an abnormal state.
“Gack!”
“Kraaagh!”
Yet Kwon Hu-don’s team members were being pushed back.
Every time the grotesque beings swung their limbs, Kwon Hu-don’s team members spat blood and flew backward.
“…Am I seeing this correctly?”
Kwon Hu-don’s team members were brought directly by Kwon Mi. They possessed considerable skill.
For them to be overwhelmed so easily, no—by such a devastating margin?
“Grraaaagh!”
One team member was seized by a grotesque being’s hand and slammed into the ground. The creature climbed on top and was about to throw a punch at the team member.
If left alone, it would be fatal.
Kwon Han-ul immediately unleashed a barrage of mana bullets at the grotesque beings.
Dozens of mana bullets embedded themselves throughout the creatures’ bodies. They shrieked and retreated backward.
But they merely retreated—all of them remained unharmed.
Mana bullets powerful enough to pierce even considerable auras had failed to penetrate the creatures’ skin.
Joo Ha-yeon spoke to the bewildered Kwon Han-ul.
“…They are the Puppet Master’s living puppets.”
“The Puppet Master?”
“A villain affiliated with Pandemonium. A horrifying wretch who enjoys conducting fusion experiments between humans and monsters.”
Joo Ha-yeon pointed at the grotesque beings as she spoke.
“All of them have been enhanced using monster bodies. And it appears they’ve been pushed to their physical limits through the use of toxins.”
“They even used poison?”
“Yes. Ordinary skill levels won’t be enough to deal with them.”
Even as we conversed, Kwon Hu-don’s team members were pushed back helplessly.
The situation could no longer be ignored. Kwon Han-ul shouted toward them.
“Take the wounded into the Mansion!”
At Kwon Han-ul’s command, the team members supported the wounded and all entered the Mansion.
“Let’s finish this quickly and find Ferdrans.”
Kwon Han-ul opened a subspace and equipped leather gloves. Mei Hong also drew her sword.
But Joo Ha-yeon made no preparations and simply gazed into the distance.
“Ha-yeon?”
“Kwon Han-ul, I apologize.”
Joo Ha-yeon spoke abruptly.
“Someone is calling me. I believe I must go.”
Her expression was rigid, unlike her usual self.
“Must you be the one to go, Ha-yeon?”
“The one who shattered the barrier with a single strike. I must be the one to face them.”
It seemed Ferdrans had another ally. Kwon Han-ul nodded with a worried expression.
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
Joo Ha-yeon vanished, wrapped in magical power. As she disappeared, Kwon Han-ul glared at the grotesque beings and spoke.
“Then we should take care of our part——”
That was when it happened.
“—!”
“—!!”
“—!!!”
The living puppets let out incomprehensible shrieks. Black veins bulged across their bodies. The poison’s effects had intensified.
The living puppets rushed toward Kwon Han-ul.
The sight of the living puppets, each in different forms, charging forward simultaneously was utterly grotesque.
“Ugh.”
Mei Hong stuck out her tongue in disgust. Kwon Han-ul stepped forward and spoke.
“Fall back.”
Kwon Han-ul’s forehead split open. As it parted left and right, eyes appeared.
【Ability ‘Celestial Dragon Eye’ is being activated.】
The moment the ability activated, the living puppets’ movements slowed dramatically.
It was not only the puppets. The entire world slowed down. Even a single speck of dust drifting on the wind became visible in detail.
Kwon Han-ul summoned dragon horse energy. He converted all the magical power in his body into dragon horse energy.
The magical power one possesses and the magical power one can control are separate matters.
Even with 100 magical power, one can only control 30 at a time.
But now Kwon Han-ul was controlling all 100 of his magical power.
【’Celestial Dragon Eye’ dominates the surrounding environment.】
The power of Celestial Dragon Eye made this possible.
Kwon Han-ul gathered all his dragon horse energy into both hands. He bent the second joint of his fingers and loaded the magic bullets.
If ordinary magic bullets cannot pierce through the raw puppets, then I simply need to enhance the power of the magic bullets.
Xuanlong Ascension Technique Unparalleled Form
Applied Dragon Demon Bullet
Black rays of light pierced through the raw puppets in succession.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————